Canham Family Cameras and Film new 4x5

[abruzzi]

dang--lighter than an Toho FC-45X:

Canham Family Cameras and Film Home Page

1.39kg, 488mm of bellows, 3D printed in PETG, $875

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I wonder if there's a bag/universal bellows available. That would be great with short focal-length lenses.

Doremus

 

[Pioneer]

Neat idea. I wish them well.

 

[GregY]

I wonder if there's a bag/universal bellows available. That would be great with short focal-length lenses.

Doremus

Since Camera Bellows UK made the bellows for Canham...I imagine they can make you a bag bellows.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The fact he used Custom Bellows instead of cheaper options informs me that he is quality oriented, just like his father.

 

[GregY]

The fact he used Custom Bellows instead of cheaper options informs me that he is quality oriented, just like his father.

Yes..... a quality alternative to Intrepid......

 

[DREW WILEY]

Without saying anything bad about either, as a positive response, I'd say, quite a leap forward for a modest budget. Hopefully, someone will get one of these in their hands soon, to provide a report.

 

[blee1996]

I guess 3D printing is the way to go, unless you go for super nice yet super pricey CNC like Stenopeika. I do 3D printing with PETG as well, but the knobs probably won't last that long.

It is still aesthetically pleasing to use finely crafted wooden camera though. Keith said he is keeping a waitlist for his 8x10 wooden field camera for the future.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Knobs can probably be replaced if needed with something more durable. He does use metal threaded inserts. Keith's wooden cameras were mainly black walnut, and rather attractive. My own woodie 4x5 is a mahogany Ebony one, probably the best made wooden line of view cameras ever, with the best hardware too (solid machined titanium).

I've always coveted a Canham walnut 5x7, which seems to be the sweet spot in his whole lineup, but I can't justify yet another film format. It's nice to see someone in his family interested in keeping up the tradition.

For me personally, woodworking has a lot more craft and esthetic appeal than 3D plastic fabrication. But it would be hard to beat the precision and durability of my Sinar die-cast metal components. Keith's metal camera components are CNC anodized aluminum.

 

[djdister]

I've always coveted a Canham walnut 5x7, which seems to be the sweet spot in his whole lineup, but I can't justify yet another film format. It's nice to see someone in his family interested in keeping up the tradition.

For me personally, woodworking has a lot more craft and esthetic appeal than 3D plastic fabrication. But it would be hard to beat the precision and durability of my Sinar die-cast metal components. Keith's metal camera components are CNC anodized aluminum.

I had a Canham 5x7 wood camera which looked beautiful, but I sold it in order to get the Canham 5x7 MQC camera and the 6x17 roll film back.

I do wonder how his son's PETG camera compares to Walker's ABS cameras in terms of stability and durability.

 

[DREW WILEY]

ABS is harder and heavier, and can be brittle if it's too cold. Walker cameras are almost entirely out of production. Wood is definitely easier to DIY repair, unless it's just a simple gluing issue.

PETG as a printable plastic is outside my own sphere of experience. I wonder how well it dimensionally holds in hot weather. I don't think it can be conventionally glued, and heat welding things back together can get tricky. But if the camera model in question catches on, perhaps spare parts will be available.

It's not going to win any beauty contests, but that's a moot point out in the wilds n' weather, where some battle scars are inevitable anyway.

Another question would pertain to linear flex at full extension; I'd expect it to be inferior to wood or machined metal in that respect, but a lot depends on how tight the gearing and extensions sections lock onto one another too.

 

[ivan35mm]

yes!!

I would love to see them continue to experiment with different 3d printing technologies (MJF & SLS comes to mind) and more advanced materials (PPS-CF would be amazing)

Also, I hope to see this made in 5x7 *fingers crossed*

Really exciting news!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I wish him all the best...I'd love to try one out, but I'm saving my loonies for something else...

 

[logan2z]

As someone who’s been thinking about buying his first LF camera, this looks interesting. But at $900+ I’m not sure I would consider it given that I could buy something like a Chamonix wood/carbon fiber 4x5 camera for around $1200. The price difference just isn’t great enough for me to consider buying a 3D printed camera.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

The price for a 3D printed camera is high... and after I convert your money to mine (that's about $1250 CAD), pay for shipping, taxes, duty... not going to happen. I can just see it cracking/breaking during a Winter shoot up here.
Now if he sent me one to play around with...and make a video... I'd be game!

 

[DREW WILEY]

Why do you think most camera gear or woodworking gear reviews never have anything bad to say about a product? Ironically, I stated my mind, got paid double by publishers, and got given even way better gear, because the good stuff inherently fares better in an honest objective review than all the disposable amateur junk which usually gets touted as a "good buy".

No... I'm not going to loan you my Ebony camera to test in your winter weather. It's already had enough blizzard and wind storm torture in our high Sierra here, as well as in the Rockies (held up well too). I've had "unbreakable" Pelican ABS camera cases crack upon very minor drops when temps were down in the teens; cold is the Achilles heel of ABS, unless it's thick aircell ABS drainage pipe.

You have a Chamonix model, if I recall correctly? Those look well built. My own 8x10 is an early Phillips, and except for a few hardware upgrades I made myself, it has held up in the outdoors superbly all these years. Everyone called those ugly when they first came out, before Dick Phillips started painting them all-black. I don't care whether a duck is ugly or not, just so long as it can quack and fly well. But still, given a choice, I like nice looking gear myself in an apples to apples situation.

 

[abruzzi]

PETG is a polyester compound so it is pretty resistant to heat. It’s also less likely to fracture compared to something like PLA (polylactic acid—the most common material for 3D printing.) PETG requires higher heat and takes longer to print, but that’s more a matter for the manufacturer than the user. When I send off to have someone with a printer print lens boards, I have them use PETG. I also read concerns that black PLA wasn’t fully light tight, but I don’t know if that was speculation.

My biggest concern is flex at full extension. Also it’s not really ideal for wides—with something like 78mm minimum extension. My Nikkor 75 would need a recessed lens board. I would hope that it can use DLC wide angle bellows, one less part to design. It’s clearly inspired by the DLC.

For my “all-in” 4x5 I’ve settled on an Arca Swiss, but I was using a Toho for my lightweight hiking camera (I don’t backpack any more with my bum knee…), and while it’s less compact, it’s almost as light as the 1.2kg Toho FC-45A, and I suspect it’s more accurate (the older model Toho has locking screws for the standards position on the rail, and if you’re not careful, tightening that screw can push the standard out of position enough to throw out focus.) I don’t think I’ll be able to afford the preorder, but I think in 6 months I’ll definitely be in on one of these.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Why do you think most camera gear or woodworking gear reviews never have anything bad to say about a product? Ironically, I stated my mind, got paid double by publishers, and got given even way better gear, because the good stuff inherently fares better in an honest objective review than all the disposable amateur junk which usually gets touted as a "good buy".

No... I'm not going to loan you my Ebony camera to test in your winter weather. It's already had enough blizzard and wind storm torture in our high Sierra here, as well as in the Rockies (held up well too). I've had "unbreakable" Pelican ABS camera cases crack upon very minor drops when temps were down in the teens; cold is the Achilles heel of ABS, unless it's thick aircell ABS drainage pipe.

You have a Chamonix model, if I recall correctly? Those look well built. My own 8x10 is an early Phillips, and except for a few hardware upgrades I made myself, it has held up in the outdoors superbly all these years. Everyone called those ugly when they first came out, before Dick Phillips started painting them all-black. I don't care whether a duck is ugly or not, just so long as it can quack and fly well. But still, given a choice, I like nice looking gear myself in an apples to apples situation.

Was this directed at me?